This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.
Prosthetic devices are used by amputees to replace all of, or some portion of, a limb. For example, prosthetic legs may be used to replace a portion of a person's leg surgically removed at or above the knee. Such prosthetic devices allow the person to walk in a conventional manner by supporting the person's weight and, in some cases, by providing a prosthetic joint at the person's knee that bends and otherwise mimics operation of a human knee. Prosthetic legs may be incorporated at one or both of the person's legs depending on the person's condition.
Prosthetic legs may be used in conjunction with prosthetic feet that are designed to replace the foot of the amputee. As with prosthetic legs, prosthetic feet are designed to allow an amputee to walk in a conventional manner by supporting the person's weight during use. Prosthetic feet are sometimes also designed to flex and bend in an effort to function in a similar manner as a human ankle and foot.
One conventional prosthetic foot is a so-called prosthetic blade that includes a substantially flat member extending from a distal end of a prosthetic leg. Prosthetic blades are typically formed from a resilient material that permits the blade to bend and flex during use while automatically returning to a relaxed state once an applied force is released. Such bending and flexing of the prosthetic blade is enhanced by the generally curved shape of the blade that facilitates bending and flexing when the blade comes in contact with the ground during use. The foregoing properties of prosthetic blades allow the blades to absorb energy associated with ground-contacting forces and, as such, provide an amputee with a degree of comfort during use. Further, such bending and flexing provides the amputee with an energy return during walking and running movements that enhances the performance of the amputee during such movements.
While prosthetic blades provide an amputee with the ability to walk and run, such blades do not typically include a ground-contacting surface suitable for all potential activities. Accordingly, prosthetic blades may be fitted with an outsole that is affixed to the blade using an adhesive to restrict relative movement between the material of the blade and the material of the outsole. While such outsoles protect the blade during use and, further, enhance the traction of the blade with the ground during some uses, such outsoles are difficult to attach and, further, are even more difficult to remove. Accordingly, the few outsoles currently used in conjunction with prosthetic blades cannot be easily interchanged with one another for use in a particular activity or with a particular ground surface.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.